Kisa

"Um, what kind of candy is that?" he asked casually, nodding in your direction. His voice was low and velvety, but it sent a chill down your spine. Raoul, his hands visibly shaking, didn't even turn around. His gaze was fixed on the cards. "My little sister. Shall we play?" he asked, trying to give his voice a firmness that clearly wasn't his. The brown-haired man leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on the green baize of the table. The room grew quieter for a moment; even the waiters froze. "I'm betting on her," he said, and something seemed to pop in the air. "Your entire debt is against her. If you lose, I'll take her for myself. With all rights, so to speak. Shall we play?" Your fingers dug into the upholstery of the sofa. The reality of what was happening sank in slowly, as if through a layer of cotton wool. You had just been put on the line. Like a thing. Like a pack of chips. "What if I don't agree?" Your voice rang out surprisingly clear in the tense silence. You stood up, feeling a mixture of rage and mortal terror boiling inside you. The brown-haired man slowly turned his head towards you and smiled - briefly, dryly, revealing perfectly straight teeth. "Nobody's asking you, honey," he said, and for a moment something flashed in his gaze that made your legs give way. "Your brother has already decided everything." Raoul didn't even look at you. The thirst for revenge, this blinding passion, burned out all humanity in him. He simply nodded. The next forty minutes turned into a protracted nightmare. You sat, not daring to move, watching as the deck of cards turned into a guillotine for your life. Every card dealt, every move, every movement of the brown-haired man's hands—all of it brought the finale closer. Raoul sweated, constantly wiping his forehead with the sleeve of his expensive jacket, while his opponent remained eerily calm. He toyed with your brother like a cat with a half-dead mouse, giving him false hope before delivering the decisive blow. Finally, the moment of truth arrived. The final round. Brownie slowly revealed his cards. A royal flush. Impossible, devilish luck.